12.19 Wednesday
Susan Gorton, 45, of Cottage Grove, is charged with the hit-and-run death of a bicyclist last February. Dale Connors, 52, died after being struck on Femrite Drive in the town of Blooming Grove. Police say Gorton was high on marijuana at the time of the accident.
Meriter Hospital announces it will pull a television ad in which its new CEO Jim Woodward falsely states that The New York Times named Meriter's newborn intensive care unit the best in the country. Meriter decides to pull the ad after the Wisconsin State Journal questions its accuracy.
12.20 Thursday
State Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen releases an opinion declaring it unconstitutional to block student transfers because of race. Madison is the only school district in the state that denies transfers based on race, in an effort to keep schools integrated.
12.21 Friday
Gov. Jim Doyle signs the controversial video competition bill into law. The bill, which was pushed by AT&T, allows cable companies to negotiate a single statewide franchise, instead of striking deals with individual municipalities. The bill also ends funding for public access channels, including Madison City Channel 12, within three years.
Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz proposes strategies to improve the city's snow clearing. Among his proposals: allowing people to park for free in city parking ramps starting at 9 p.m. instead of at 1 a.m.; doubling the fines for not moving your vehicle during a snow emergency from $30 to $60; and enforcing parking rules for street cleaning year-round, instead of just May to November.
12.23 Sunday
Joanne Ditsch, 40, of Madison, is killed in a two-car accident on Highway 51. Police say hazardous weather conditions, caused by yet another winter storm, are a factor in the crash.
12.24 Monday
Police Taser a man at West Towne Mall after an anonymous call to 911 reports that someone there has a gun; one prong also hits the man's wife. Major Lemon, 44, is arrested and charged with resisting police officers. No gun is found.
12.25 Tuesday
An early morning fire completely destroys a house in rural Mazomanie, causing $300,000 in damage. No one is injured; officials are investigating the cause.
12.26 Wednesday
The State Elections Board dumps Accenture, the company that developed a statewide voter registration system plagued with problems. Accenture agrees to forgo the nearly $2 million it says the state owes, and will also pay the state $4 million to avoid a potential lawsuit. The state, which spent $23 million in federal money on Accenture's failed program, will now develop its own registration system. Hmmm, if only someone had suggested this early on....
Compiled from local media
